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HI'". V a L'Z'.'.' r . '. '.. .
74th Year - No. 222 Good Morning! It's Saturday, June 5, 1982 2 Sections - 14 Pages - 25 Cents
Adorn JaftM photo Rodeo driving
Some of the approximately 100 spectators watch professional truck driv-ers
from Missouri compete in the 15th Missouri Truck Saftey Rodeo at
Cosmo Park. About 50 drivers took written tests, were interviewed and
then tested on driving ability on a course including serpentine turns, barr-icades
and complicated parking obstacles. At right, F. L. Crane measured
the rig- to- bound- ary distance in the backing competition, one of Friday's
events. An experienced driver can come within 3 inches ( 7.62 centime-ters),
but in this competition 18 inches ( 45.72 centimeters) is close
enough to score. The competition, which continues today, is supervised- b- y
the Missouri Council of Safety Supervisors and sponsored by the Mis-souri
Bus and Truck Association and the American Trucking Association.
POUCE CRITICISM OF WALSH:
Representative or some malcontents?
By Paul Shannon
Missourian staff writer
-- When Dick Gray began his tenure as city
manager almost two years' ago, he said,
" What I want first and foremost in a chief is a professional law enforcement person, and I
. think that's what I have in Chief Walsh."
Gray's . confidence in Police Chief David
Walsh waned quickly. His meetings with
Walsh began to degenerate; the last several
ended with the men shouting at each other.
Gray assigned Deputy City Manager Mike
Sanford to oversee the Police Department.
On May 4, Sanford became acting chief
when Gray sacked Walsh.
Just how much Gray's attitude has
changed since he came to Columbia was evi-dent
when he met with the advisory group he
created to help select a new chief. What he
wants most in a chief, he said then, is " man-agement
and personnel skills."
Even Gray still credits Walsh with being a
professional law enforcement person, but the
manager and other critics fault the fired
chief for what they see as poor management.
In Friday's Columbia Missourian, the poli-tics
of the Walsh firing was explored. This
story examines the questions of competence
and the pressures of politics, forces that
came together in the case of Detective Bob
Muse.
Fourth Ward Councilman Pat Barnes, a
personal friend of Muse, prompted the secret
meeting May 3 that brought together Gray
and a group of influential political figures,
including former Mayor Bob Pugh, former
Councilman Jim Goodrich, Prosecuting At-torney
Joe Moseley, Mayor John Westlund
and First Ward Councilman Al Tacker. Co-lumbia
Daily Tribune Publisher Henry J.
Waters III and Circuit Court Judge Frank
Conley had indicated they would attend the
The Walsh Firing: Web of Intrigue
meeting, but neither did so.
Barnes was angry because he thought
Mase was being pressured by vindictive su-periors
into early retirement He wanted
Moseley to make a job for Muse as an inves-tigator.
During the meeting, more general
criticism of Walsh erupted. The next day, in
an action he insists was unrelated to the
meeting or any outside influence, Gray fired
Walsh.
Bob Muse has long enjoyed a public repu-tation
as an excellent detective. The Mis-sourian
published a laudatory profile two
years ago and a sympathetic interview in the
summer of 1981. Several weeks ago, the Co-lumbia
Daily Tribune approached the Police
Department with the idea of writing a spe-cial
feature on Muse. The department re-fused
to cooperate, so the Tribune instead
published an editorial that dubbed Muse
" Columbia's Columbo."
Barnes says he became involved with
Muse when several detectives told him that
Muse was being harassed into retirement.
Barnes asked Sanford to do something about
it. One week before the firing, Sanford sent
Walsh a memo asking him to investigate.
Walsh interviewed Muse and said later that
Muse was insistent on retiring.
But Barnes was not satisfied.
Several policemen have toid the Missour-ian
that Barnes' perception is colored by bis
friendship with Muse.
Muse says, " Our friendship has nothing to
do with it."
The plight of Muse, as told by these offi-cers,
is the plight of a competent detective
who made several costly mistakes and who
developed a deep- seate- d grudge against his
superior officer, Lt. Jack Wonneman.
like most of the police officers inter-viewed,
the officers insisted that their names
not be published for fear that the expression
of pro- Wal- sh sentiments might damage their
careers now that Walsh has been fired.
Those interviewed ranged in rank from pa-trolman
to supervisory level officers and in
experience from those hired during Walsh's
tenure to others with more than 10 years
service.
On Oct 6, 1980, Muse and Detective Jim
Garrison picked up a burglary suspect, An-thony
Crews. Hoping he would show them
other houses he had burglarized, they drove
around town with Crews for several hours.
When the car turned toward the police sta-tion,
Crews reached over the back seat and
grabbed Garrison's gun. In the ensuing
struggle, Crews shot Muse in the leg and hip.
Crews was captured severai hours later af-ter
an intensive dragnet and a brief stand- of- f
with police.
Both Garrison and Muse were sitting in the
front seat when Crews went for the gun.
Crews was handcuffed, but his hands were in
front of his body not in back. Muse's gun
was locked in the glove compartment of the
car. These all are violations of standard po-lice
procedures and specific department rul-es
and regulations.
While Muse was recuperating in the hospi-tal,
he received his city salary and work-man's
compensation. When Muse returned
to the force, he chose to take a lump sum set-tlement
of $ 9,315 in lieu of continued eligibili-ty
for further workman's compensation cov-erage.
That decision disqualified him from re-ceiving
full retirement benefits, which would
have amounted to half pay. City Finance Di-rector
Harold Boldt says Muse understood
that at the time he made the decision.
Muse said, " I didn't understand that when
( See ARE, Page 8A) He's back
Charlie the champion showdog
rescued and regaining health
BySX- Wyke- s
Missourian staff writer
This should be the final chapter in the sto-ry
of Charlie, the champion show dog who
. ' Monday wandered off from handlers prior to
a little eye surgery.
He was coaxed into turning himself in Fri-day
afternoon and is safe again in the wards
of the University College of Veterinary Medi-cine.
His owners, Judy Davis and her daughter,
Cheryl, lured him in from the - wilds behind
the Hearnes Center with food and the green- eye- d
monster of jealousy.
. The 1- yea- r- old English springer spaniel
had been sighted again Friday afternoon
near Rock Quarry Road and Nifong Boule-vard.
But when the Davises got there, Charlie
was gone again. Back they went to the wood-ed
area where he had been sighted the day
before. This time,- - however, they brought
with them Charlie's mother and sister.
Staking out the dogs near the edge of the
woods, the women, aided by several mem--
bers of the University Police, settled down to
wait. " We were prepared to stay all night,"
Mrs. Davis said, " but Prissie ( the dog's sis-ter)
began to howl and bark. She didn't like
being tied up."
Several doctors from the Small Animal
Clinic arrived. Charlie emerged, from the
woods and everyone became quiet.
" He looked at bis sister, he looked at us, he
looked at everybody," said Mrs. Davis. " But
he didn't do anything."
She slowly stood up and walked over to the
still- barki- ng Prissie. She began " talking
baby talk to her" and petting her.
Charlie couldn't take any more. He raced
over to Mrs. Davis at a dead run and she
grabbed him.
" I don't know if he'll be back in the show
ring again," Mrs. Davis said. The abscess
over Charlie's left eye had ruptured and doc-tors
began surgery on it late Friday af-ternoon.
Mrs. Davis said Charlie's excellent stami-na
had helped him through his ordeal, and
she expressed her own appreciation for the
community support that had helped her.
i
In town today
9: 30 a-- m. 15th annual Missouri Truck
Safety Rodeo, Cosmo Park Recreation
Center. Free and open to the public.
2 pan. 6th annual Gospel Music Con-cert,
sponsored by Wright's Temple
Church of God in Christ, Cosmo Park'
Nickell Shelter. Free and open to the
public.
Absentee votes
. Absentee ballots for Tuesday's spe-cial
election may be cast at the clerk's
office in the County- Cit- y Building on
East Broadway from 9 a. m. to 1 p. m.
today.
The deadline for absentee ballots is 5
p. m. Monday. The deadline for mailed
absentee ballots expired Wednesday.
The League of Women Voters is pro-viding
election day voter information.
Call 442- 36- 06 between 8 aja. and 4 p. m.
Because their usual polling places
will be unavailable, residents of Pre-cinct
4B, who regularly vote at Broad-way
Christian School, should report to
Fairview Elementary School, 909
Fairview Road. Residents of Precinct
4E, who usually vote at St. Andrew's
Lutheran Church, will vote at Russell
Boulevard Elementary School, 1800 W.
Rollins Road.
k
More than
10 million
now jobless
Black teens
hit hardest
WASHINGTON ( UPI) Unemployment
rose to 9.5 percent in May, with 10.5 million
people out of work, the government reported
Friday. But Labor Secretary Raymond Do-novan
said there are signs the recession may
have " reached its final stage."
May data reflected a 0.1 percentage point
increase over April and showed a total 10.5
million Americans without a job an in-crease
of 242,000 since last month. The job-less
rate continued at its highest level since
1941, when it averaged 9.9 percent.
For black teenagers, the monthly report
was more bad news as joblessness reached a
record 49.8 percent. A year ago, it was 36.9
percent
Donovan said he was disappointed by the
continuing high rate of unemployment, but
encouraged by May employment figures that
showed a 780,000 increase since April in the
number of persons holding jobs.
" While we are concerned about the modest
rise in the unemployment rate, these signs
give us hope that the recession may have at
last reached its final stage," Donovan said.
Despite the increase in unemployment,
other government officials also hinted the re-cession
may be easing.
" There is more stability in this month's
figures than we have seen in a long time,"
Commissioner Janet Norwood of the Bureau
of Labor Statistics told the congressional
Joint Economic Committee.
The report noted several positive signs.
Total employment rose by 780,000 in May to
100.1 million, and as a result, the bureau said
the proportion of the population with jobs
rose 0.4 percent.
During May, the average work week of
production or non- supervis- ory workers in-creased
0.1 hours to 35 hours, while the man-ufacturing
work week edged up the same
amount to 39.1 hours. Factory overtime was
unchanged at 2.4 hours.
U. S. Chamber of Commerce economist
Richard Rahn said the growth in employ-ment
and hours worked indicates " the unem-ployment
rate has peaked.
" You just simply don't see that type of em-ployment
growth in a stagnant or recessio-nal
economy, despite the fact that the official
unemployment rate rose by one- ten- th of a
percent," Rahn said.
Mrs. Norwood added that factory employ-ment
is relatively stable after declining
markedly in recent months and the service- produci- ng
sector showed greater strength
primarily due to job gains in retail trade.
The administration's confidence was not
shared by the Full Employment Action
Council, headed by Coretta Scott King and
Clothing and Textile Workers Union Presi-dentMurray
Finley.
" As this summer begins, hundreds of thou-sands
of teenagers have nothing to look for-ward
to but idleness, frustration and de-spair,"
they said. " The nation's war on its
own people must end."
AFL- CI- O President Lane Kirkland was not
optimistic in his assessment.
Kirkland said Congress should provide di-rect
job opportunities for youth seeking sum-mer
jobs, aid to bousing and auto industries,
and extended benefits for the long- ter- m job-less.
" Without such actions, the recession will
continue to worsen, month after month, with
high unemployment and more lost output,"
he said.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D- Ma- ss., said in
Boston the new figures are a matter of
" enormous concern" and provide little hope
the economy will improve " in the foresee-able
future."
Since President Reagan took office in Jan-uary,
1981, the jobless rate has increased
from 7.4 percent to 9.5 percent.
Unemployment means
frustration, despair for
Black teenagers
By Chuck Finder
Missourian staff writer
Precariously balancing on his right foot,
Cody eyes his shot. He raps a corner of the
pool table with the end of his cue, signifying
his aim: to plunk the ball into that pocket
The husky teenager gives it his best shot, but
the ball caroms helplessly off the cushion of
the faded- gree- n pool table and misses its
mark.
He shakes his head as he hands his stick to
a companion. " Man, I can't sink anytnin' to-day,"
he says.
Frustration not merely the kind felt dur-ing
an everyday pool game at the J. W.
" Blind" Boone Center is a pervasive senti-ment
for Cody, 18, and many young blacks
like him in Columbia. They basically feel
frustration at wasting time " hanging out" at
places such as the center, frustration at be-ing
unemployed and the bleak prospects for
finding a jobsoon.
" You're walkin' around, you're in high
school ( with) no job, no finances," says Wil-lie,
17. " It's very frustrating."
Willie says he's heard most of the reasons
for not hiring young blacks: too young,
unskilled, inexperienced. Few employers
will give youths that first shot
" For some reason the black youth arent
being assimilated into the work force as
readily as white youth," says Bill Thompson,
one of the supervisors at " Blind" Boone. The
center's purpose is to provide them with a
place for recreation, he adds, " when really
they need jobs. They need jobs."
According to local studies, nearly one- ha- lf
of Columbia's black teenage population is
jobless, a number somewhat higher than the
national average of 45 percent. And with un-employment
on the upswing nationwide, the
situation is worsening.
A deepening recession and a competitive
job market are cited as the reasons for un-employment.
However, government and ed-ucation
officials in Columbia are attempting
to remedy the problem by instituting a local-ly
run employment program.
The fact remains, though, that black
( See CARE, Page 8A)

HI'". V a L'Z'.'.' r . '. '.. .
74th Year - No. 222 Good Morning! It's Saturday, June 5, 1982 2 Sections - 14 Pages - 25 Cents
Adorn JaftM photo Rodeo driving
Some of the approximately 100 spectators watch professional truck driv-ers
from Missouri compete in the 15th Missouri Truck Saftey Rodeo at
Cosmo Park. About 50 drivers took written tests, were interviewed and
then tested on driving ability on a course including serpentine turns, barr-icades
and complicated parking obstacles. At right, F. L. Crane measured
the rig- to- bound- ary distance in the backing competition, one of Friday's
events. An experienced driver can come within 3 inches ( 7.62 centime-ters),
but in this competition 18 inches ( 45.72 centimeters) is close
enough to score. The competition, which continues today, is supervised- b- y
the Missouri Council of Safety Supervisors and sponsored by the Mis-souri
Bus and Truck Association and the American Trucking Association.
POUCE CRITICISM OF WALSH:
Representative or some malcontents?
By Paul Shannon
Missourian staff writer
-- When Dick Gray began his tenure as city
manager almost two years' ago, he said,
" What I want first and foremost in a chief is a professional law enforcement person, and I
. think that's what I have in Chief Walsh."
Gray's . confidence in Police Chief David
Walsh waned quickly. His meetings with
Walsh began to degenerate; the last several
ended with the men shouting at each other.
Gray assigned Deputy City Manager Mike
Sanford to oversee the Police Department.
On May 4, Sanford became acting chief
when Gray sacked Walsh.
Just how much Gray's attitude has
changed since he came to Columbia was evi-dent
when he met with the advisory group he
created to help select a new chief. What he
wants most in a chief, he said then, is " man-agement
and personnel skills."
Even Gray still credits Walsh with being a
professional law enforcement person, but the
manager and other critics fault the fired
chief for what they see as poor management.
In Friday's Columbia Missourian, the poli-tics
of the Walsh firing was explored. This
story examines the questions of competence
and the pressures of politics, forces that
came together in the case of Detective Bob
Muse.
Fourth Ward Councilman Pat Barnes, a
personal friend of Muse, prompted the secret
meeting May 3 that brought together Gray
and a group of influential political figures,
including former Mayor Bob Pugh, former
Councilman Jim Goodrich, Prosecuting At-torney
Joe Moseley, Mayor John Westlund
and First Ward Councilman Al Tacker. Co-lumbia
Daily Tribune Publisher Henry J.
Waters III and Circuit Court Judge Frank
Conley had indicated they would attend the
The Walsh Firing: Web of Intrigue
meeting, but neither did so.
Barnes was angry because he thought
Mase was being pressured by vindictive su-periors
into early retirement He wanted
Moseley to make a job for Muse as an inves-tigator.
During the meeting, more general
criticism of Walsh erupted. The next day, in
an action he insists was unrelated to the
meeting or any outside influence, Gray fired
Walsh.
Bob Muse has long enjoyed a public repu-tation
as an excellent detective. The Mis-sourian
published a laudatory profile two
years ago and a sympathetic interview in the
summer of 1981. Several weeks ago, the Co-lumbia
Daily Tribune approached the Police
Department with the idea of writing a spe-cial
feature on Muse. The department re-fused
to cooperate, so the Tribune instead
published an editorial that dubbed Muse
" Columbia's Columbo."
Barnes says he became involved with
Muse when several detectives told him that
Muse was being harassed into retirement.
Barnes asked Sanford to do something about
it. One week before the firing, Sanford sent
Walsh a memo asking him to investigate.
Walsh interviewed Muse and said later that
Muse was insistent on retiring.
But Barnes was not satisfied.
Several policemen have toid the Missour-ian
that Barnes' perception is colored by bis
friendship with Muse.
Muse says, " Our friendship has nothing to
do with it."
The plight of Muse, as told by these offi-cers,
is the plight of a competent detective
who made several costly mistakes and who
developed a deep- seate- d grudge against his
superior officer, Lt. Jack Wonneman.
like most of the police officers inter-viewed,
the officers insisted that their names
not be published for fear that the expression
of pro- Wal- sh sentiments might damage their
careers now that Walsh has been fired.
Those interviewed ranged in rank from pa-trolman
to supervisory level officers and in
experience from those hired during Walsh's
tenure to others with more than 10 years
service.
On Oct 6, 1980, Muse and Detective Jim
Garrison picked up a burglary suspect, An-thony
Crews. Hoping he would show them
other houses he had burglarized, they drove
around town with Crews for several hours.
When the car turned toward the police sta-tion,
Crews reached over the back seat and
grabbed Garrison's gun. In the ensuing
struggle, Crews shot Muse in the leg and hip.
Crews was captured severai hours later af-ter
an intensive dragnet and a brief stand- of- f
with police.
Both Garrison and Muse were sitting in the
front seat when Crews went for the gun.
Crews was handcuffed, but his hands were in
front of his body not in back. Muse's gun
was locked in the glove compartment of the
car. These all are violations of standard po-lice
procedures and specific department rul-es
and regulations.
While Muse was recuperating in the hospi-tal,
he received his city salary and work-man's
compensation. When Muse returned
to the force, he chose to take a lump sum set-tlement
of $ 9,315 in lieu of continued eligibili-ty
for further workman's compensation cov-erage.
That decision disqualified him from re-ceiving
full retirement benefits, which would
have amounted to half pay. City Finance Di-rector
Harold Boldt says Muse understood
that at the time he made the decision.
Muse said, " I didn't understand that when
( See ARE, Page 8A) He's back
Charlie the champion showdog
rescued and regaining health
BySX- Wyke- s
Missourian staff writer
This should be the final chapter in the sto-ry
of Charlie, the champion show dog who
. ' Monday wandered off from handlers prior to
a little eye surgery.
He was coaxed into turning himself in Fri-day
afternoon and is safe again in the wards
of the University College of Veterinary Medi-cine.
His owners, Judy Davis and her daughter,
Cheryl, lured him in from the - wilds behind
the Hearnes Center with food and the green- eye- d
monster of jealousy.
. The 1- yea- r- old English springer spaniel
had been sighted again Friday afternoon
near Rock Quarry Road and Nifong Boule-vard.
But when the Davises got there, Charlie
was gone again. Back they went to the wood-ed
area where he had been sighted the day
before. This time,- - however, they brought
with them Charlie's mother and sister.
Staking out the dogs near the edge of the
woods, the women, aided by several mem--
bers of the University Police, settled down to
wait. " We were prepared to stay all night,"
Mrs. Davis said, " but Prissie ( the dog's sis-ter)
began to howl and bark. She didn't like
being tied up."
Several doctors from the Small Animal
Clinic arrived. Charlie emerged, from the
woods and everyone became quiet.
" He looked at bis sister, he looked at us, he
looked at everybody," said Mrs. Davis. " But
he didn't do anything."
She slowly stood up and walked over to the
still- barki- ng Prissie. She began " talking
baby talk to her" and petting her.
Charlie couldn't take any more. He raced
over to Mrs. Davis at a dead run and she
grabbed him.
" I don't know if he'll be back in the show
ring again," Mrs. Davis said. The abscess
over Charlie's left eye had ruptured and doc-tors
began surgery on it late Friday af-ternoon.
Mrs. Davis said Charlie's excellent stami-na
had helped him through his ordeal, and
she expressed her own appreciation for the
community support that had helped her.
i
In town today
9: 30 a-- m. 15th annual Missouri Truck
Safety Rodeo, Cosmo Park Recreation
Center. Free and open to the public.
2 pan. 6th annual Gospel Music Con-cert,
sponsored by Wright's Temple
Church of God in Christ, Cosmo Park'
Nickell Shelter. Free and open to the
public.
Absentee votes
. Absentee ballots for Tuesday's spe-cial
election may be cast at the clerk's
office in the County- Cit- y Building on
East Broadway from 9 a. m. to 1 p. m.
today.
The deadline for absentee ballots is 5
p. m. Monday. The deadline for mailed
absentee ballots expired Wednesday.
The League of Women Voters is pro-viding
election day voter information.
Call 442- 36- 06 between 8 aja. and 4 p. m.
Because their usual polling places
will be unavailable, residents of Pre-cinct
4B, who regularly vote at Broad-way
Christian School, should report to
Fairview Elementary School, 909
Fairview Road. Residents of Precinct
4E, who usually vote at St. Andrew's
Lutheran Church, will vote at Russell
Boulevard Elementary School, 1800 W.
Rollins Road.
k
More than
10 million
now jobless
Black teens
hit hardest
WASHINGTON ( UPI) Unemployment
rose to 9.5 percent in May, with 10.5 million
people out of work, the government reported
Friday. But Labor Secretary Raymond Do-novan
said there are signs the recession may
have " reached its final stage."
May data reflected a 0.1 percentage point
increase over April and showed a total 10.5
million Americans without a job an in-crease
of 242,000 since last month. The job-less
rate continued at its highest level since
1941, when it averaged 9.9 percent.
For black teenagers, the monthly report
was more bad news as joblessness reached a
record 49.8 percent. A year ago, it was 36.9
percent
Donovan said he was disappointed by the
continuing high rate of unemployment, but
encouraged by May employment figures that
showed a 780,000 increase since April in the
number of persons holding jobs.
" While we are concerned about the modest
rise in the unemployment rate, these signs
give us hope that the recession may have at
last reached its final stage," Donovan said.
Despite the increase in unemployment,
other government officials also hinted the re-cession
may be easing.
" There is more stability in this month's
figures than we have seen in a long time,"
Commissioner Janet Norwood of the Bureau
of Labor Statistics told the congressional
Joint Economic Committee.
The report noted several positive signs.
Total employment rose by 780,000 in May to
100.1 million, and as a result, the bureau said
the proportion of the population with jobs
rose 0.4 percent.
During May, the average work week of
production or non- supervis- ory workers in-creased
0.1 hours to 35 hours, while the man-ufacturing
work week edged up the same
amount to 39.1 hours. Factory overtime was
unchanged at 2.4 hours.
U. S. Chamber of Commerce economist
Richard Rahn said the growth in employ-ment
and hours worked indicates " the unem-ployment
rate has peaked.
" You just simply don't see that type of em-ployment
growth in a stagnant or recessio-nal
economy, despite the fact that the official
unemployment rate rose by one- ten- th of a
percent," Rahn said.
Mrs. Norwood added that factory employ-ment
is relatively stable after declining
markedly in recent months and the service- produci- ng
sector showed greater strength
primarily due to job gains in retail trade.
The administration's confidence was not
shared by the Full Employment Action
Council, headed by Coretta Scott King and
Clothing and Textile Workers Union Presi-dentMurray
Finley.
" As this summer begins, hundreds of thou-sands
of teenagers have nothing to look for-ward
to but idleness, frustration and de-spair,"
they said. " The nation's war on its
own people must end."
AFL- CI- O President Lane Kirkland was not
optimistic in his assessment.
Kirkland said Congress should provide di-rect
job opportunities for youth seeking sum-mer
jobs, aid to bousing and auto industries,
and extended benefits for the long- ter- m job-less.
" Without such actions, the recession will
continue to worsen, month after month, with
high unemployment and more lost output,"
he said.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D- Ma- ss., said in
Boston the new figures are a matter of
" enormous concern" and provide little hope
the economy will improve " in the foresee-able
future."
Since President Reagan took office in Jan-uary,
1981, the jobless rate has increased
from 7.4 percent to 9.5 percent.
Unemployment means
frustration, despair for
Black teenagers
By Chuck Finder
Missourian staff writer
Precariously balancing on his right foot,
Cody eyes his shot. He raps a corner of the
pool table with the end of his cue, signifying
his aim: to plunk the ball into that pocket
The husky teenager gives it his best shot, but
the ball caroms helplessly off the cushion of
the faded- gree- n pool table and misses its
mark.
He shakes his head as he hands his stick to
a companion. " Man, I can't sink anytnin' to-day,"
he says.
Frustration not merely the kind felt dur-ing
an everyday pool game at the J. W.
" Blind" Boone Center is a pervasive senti-ment
for Cody, 18, and many young blacks
like him in Columbia. They basically feel
frustration at wasting time " hanging out" at
places such as the center, frustration at be-ing
unemployed and the bleak prospects for
finding a jobsoon.
" You're walkin' around, you're in high
school ( with) no job, no finances," says Wil-lie,
17. " It's very frustrating."
Willie says he's heard most of the reasons
for not hiring young blacks: too young,
unskilled, inexperienced. Few employers
will give youths that first shot
" For some reason the black youth arent
being assimilated into the work force as
readily as white youth," says Bill Thompson,
one of the supervisors at " Blind" Boone. The
center's purpose is to provide them with a
place for recreation, he adds, " when really
they need jobs. They need jobs."
According to local studies, nearly one- ha- lf
of Columbia's black teenage population is
jobless, a number somewhat higher than the
national average of 45 percent. And with un-employment
on the upswing nationwide, the
situation is worsening.
A deepening recession and a competitive
job market are cited as the reasons for un-employment.
However, government and ed-ucation
officials in Columbia are attempting
to remedy the problem by instituting a local-ly
run employment program.
The fact remains, though, that black
( See CARE, Page 8A)